Federal Budget Proposal Released

Federal Budget Proposal The White House issued a Press Release stating that the proposed FY 2005 federal budget has been sent to Congress. As can only occur in Washington, the agencies are lining up to explain how happy they are to have their budgets cut or capped. The Department of Homeland Security (one of the few winners in the battle of the budget) announced that a $3.7 billion increase in funding to $40.2 billion has been proposed for the department for FY05. On border and port security, the budget includes $411 million more than in FY04 for customs and border patrol, immigration and customs enforcement, and the Coast Guard. For seaport security, the president proposed an additional $25 million over last year's funding for the final phase of a pre-screening cargo initiative. The Department of Transportation announced that its budget request of $58.7 billion represents an increase over the amount requested the previous year. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers discussed its $4.215 billion budget for dredging and other activities. One should remember that it is a long way from initial budget proposal to the final appropriation acts – much can and will happen. It is rumored that all federal funding for Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake has been cancelled. Source: HK Law